Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when we migrated to Madinah Munawwarah and ate the fruits there, we developed stomach illnesses, which gradually led us to severe fever. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept inquiring about the situation at Badr. When we learned that the polytheists were advancing towards the place of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also set out towards Badr, which was the name of a well. We reached there before the polytheists and found two men there, one a Qurayshi and the other a slave of ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt. The Qurayshi ran away as soon as he saw us, and we captured the slave of ‘Uqbah. We asked him about the number of their army. He said, “By Allah! They are very many and their war equipment is very strong.” When he said this, the Muslims began to beat him, and while beating him, they brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also asked him about the number of the polytheists of Makkah. He gave the same answer as before. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tried his best to find out their exact number, but he refused to tell. Finally, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him, “How many camels do they slaughter daily?” He replied, “They slaughter ten camels daily.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) immediately said, “Their number is one thousand, because one camel suffices at least a hundred men.” At night, a light rain began to fall. To avoid the rain, we went under trees and shelters, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spent the whole night in that state praying to his Lord: «اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ إِنْ تُهْلِكْ هَذِهِ الْفِئَةَ لَا تُعْبَدْ» “O Allah! If this group is destroyed, then You will not be worshipped.” Anyway, at the break of dawn, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called out, “O servants of Allah! The prayer is ready.” The people left the trees and shelters and gathered around the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and then began to encourage jihad. Then he said, “The army of Quraysh is on the red slope of this mountain.” When the army of Quraysh came near us and we also formed our ranks, suddenly a man from among them, riding a red camel, came out and began to circle his army. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), “Ali! Call out to Hamzah—who was closest to the polytheists of Makkah—ask who this man on the red camel is and what he is saying.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “If there is anyone in the army of Quraysh who can command good, it is this man riding the red camel.” Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said, “This is ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘ah, who is stopping people from fighting and saying, ‘O my people! I see people who have become weak. If you have even a little ability, they will never reach you. O my people! Today, tie a band on my head and say that ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘ah has become a coward, even though you know I am not a coward.’” When Abu Jahl heard this, he said, “Are you saying this? By Allah! If anyone else had said this besides you, I would have told him to go and suck his father’s private parts (he cursed). Your lungs have filled your belly with awe.” ‘Utbah said, “O yellow-buttocked one! You taunt me? Today you will know who among us is a coward.” After this, in excitement, ‘Utbah, his brother Shaybah, and his son Walid came out to the battlefield and challenged for single combat. In response, six young men from the Ansar came out. ‘Utbah said, “We do not want to fight them. Let our own kin come out against us, those who belong to Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib.” Hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Hamzah, and Sayyiduna ‘Ubaydah bin Harith bin Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with them) to rise and face them. In this combat, ‘Utbah, Shaybah, and Walid were all killed, and among the Muslims, Sayyiduna ‘Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was wounded. In this way, we killed seventy of them and captured seventy as prisoners. Meanwhile, a short-statured young Ansari brought ‘Abbas bin ‘Abd al-Muttalib—who later became a Companion—as a prisoner. ‘Abbas said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he did not capture me. I was captured by a man who had no hair on either side of his head, had a very handsome face, and was riding a dappled horse, whom I do not see among you now.” The Ansari said, “O Messenger of Allah! I captured him.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him to remain silent and said, “Allah helped you through a noble angel.” Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that among Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib, we had captured ‘Abbas, ‘Aqil, and Nawfal bin Harith.